B.S.I. Ready to Make Bagasse Payment…but on its Terms

Belizario Carballo Jr.

A meeting of the B.S.C.F.A. will be convened on Sunday, when the membership will decide on the proposal offered by B.S.I. Meanwhile, Carballo told News Five today that once B.S.C.F.A. agrees to the terms laid down before them, B.S.I. is prepared make an initial payment for the 2013-2014 crop season which came to a close a week ago.

Belizario Carballo Jr., Chief Finance Officer, B.S.I.

“The last meeting that we had with the B.S.C.F.A. as part of the negotiations was on June sixth, and at that time we had presented our proposal from March twenty-sixth and between then and June sixth, there were some discussions, giving more information and explanation on our proposal. But on the sixth of June, the farmers, the B.S.C.F.A. undertook to go to the farmers, they indicated to us that they needed to go to their members to present our proposal and come back to the table. We haven’t gotten a response from that process but in the mean time the interim agreement that was signed on January thirteenth of this year, that defined and gave way for the negotiations and also to the start of crop, that agreement was for the 2013-2014 crop and so that agreement came to an end with the end of the 2013 crop on July eighth. And so we wrote to the farmers this week to tell them, look the interim agreement has expired with the end of the crop but we are prepared, in the spirit of good faith, to keep the offer that we have made on the table but we don’t want to keep that on the table for an unlimited period of time. And so we have given them up to August first, 2014 to indicate to us whether their members accept that proposal or that offer that is on the table and the offer is for a formula. It’s not for a specific quantum, it’s for a formula. The specific quantum would vary from crop to crop. It would be different each crop depending on the different variables. But, if there is acceptance of that offer and if we are able to conclude a new agreement which is the ultimate objective, we B.S.I., have indicated to the B.S.C.F.A. and the farmers that we are prepared to make a payment for bagasse starting with the 2013-14 crop, in other words the crop that just ended.”

According to a recent B.S.I. release, the direct financial benefit already accruing to farmers as a result of B.S.I.’s investments to improve mill performance.

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